(TUAPSE, KRASNODAR KRAI, RUSSIA) – Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said that its forces carried out a coordinated strike overnight on December 31 against major oil infrastructure in southern Russia, targeting the Tuapse marine oil terminal and the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.
According to information released by Ukrainian officials and reported by UNN, the operation involved the Main Intelligence Directorate working together with the State Border Guard Service. Sources within Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said that several key elements of the facilities were hit during the attack.
The intelligence sources said the AVT 12 primary oil refining unit at the Tuapse oil refinery was among the targets. They also reported damage to transport pipelines and loading equipment at the nearby marine oil terminal, which plays a role in shipping refined petroleum products.
Ukrainian officials noted that before the strike, the Tuapse oil refinery was capable of processing around 12 million tonnes of crude oil per year. Kyiv has argued that this capacity contributes directly to Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations and its wider military industrial complex.
Ukraine’s intelligence agency framed the operation as part of its broader effort to weaken Russia’s war related infrastructure. While official statements included strong rhetoric reflecting Ukraine’s wartime messaging, the core claim was that the strikes were intended to disrupt fuel supplies and logistics supporting Russian military activity.
There was no immediate independent confirmation from Russian authorities regarding the extent of the damage. Moscow has not issued a detailed public response to the reported strikes, and Russian state media provided limited information about incidents in the Tuapse area.
The reported attack comes as the war continues into its fourth year, with Ukraine increasingly relying on long range and asymmetric operations to target energy, transport and military facilities inside Russia. Kyiv maintains that such actions are a response to Russia’s continued attacks on Ukrainian cities, infrastructure and civilians under the direction of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine also recalled that in recent days, units of its Unmanned Systems Forces have carried out strikes against a number of Russian military and infrastructure targets in the occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia, as well as in Crimea.
Overview of reported targets
| Facility | Location | Reported role |
|---|---|---|
| Tuapse oil refinery | Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai | Crude oil processing |
| Tuapse marine oil terminal | Black Sea coast, Krasnodar Krai | Storage and shipment of oil products |
